Myanmar
- World News
OnlyFans star sentenced to six years in prison in Myanmar
Insein Prison Court in Myanmar sentenced a model to six years in prison yesterday for posting content online that “harms culture and dignity,” according to the Burmese military junta. Nang Mwe San is the first woman to ever be imprisoned over OnlyFans content in Myanmar. The 33 year old model and former doctor had previously taken part in anti-military protests…
- World News
Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi jailed for three years, along with Australian adviser
Myanmar’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to another three years in jail along with an Australian adviser to her political party. Suu Kyi was detained back in February 2021 after a military coup took over the government, despite her party winning a democratic election the year before. Australian economist and adviser to the National League for…
- World News
Beauty queen seeking asylum will not be sent to Myanmar
Amid confusion over the status of the Burmese beauty queen in limbo at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, she can at least take solace that she will not be sent back to Myanmar where she faces arrest. Han Lay, the 23 year old beauty queen, has been held upon arrival in Thailand on Wednesday with reports first saying she had been arrested,…
- World News
Burmese beauty queen arrested in Thailand
Former Burmese beauty queen, Han Lay was arrested in Thailand today. Han Lay, or Thaw Nandar Aung, winner of Miss Grand Myanmar in 2020, gave a speech against the Myanmar junta in the Miss Grand International 2020 final in Bangkok. The 23 year old talked about the political situation in Myanmar and how the people are suffering. She urged the…
- World News
At least 11 children killed after Burmese junta shoots at school, UNICEF says
It has been reported that helicopters belonging to the Burmese junta fired shots at a school in the central Sagain Region on September 16. UNICEF says that at least 11 children were killed and 17 were injured at the scene. UNICEF said that at least 15 other children from the school were missing. A junta spokesperson said the army had entered…
- World News
Indian techies illegally trafficked to Myawaddy by cyber criminals
Some 300 software engineers from India have been illegally trafficked to Myanmar after answering the call for lucrative jobs in Thailand. On arrival in Thailand, they were trafficked to Myawaddy in south-eastern Myanmar where they were forced into cybercrime activities. On Saturday some of the techies held hostage managed to contact relatives in India saying they were being held by…
- World News
Russia, Myanmar, Belarus not invited to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
While countries all over the world mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth II since she passed away last week at the age of 96, not all countries were invited to the state funeral. The UK government will fund a lavish funeral next Monday with heads of state from around the world invited, but no representatives have been invited from Russia,…
- World News
Malaysian victim of human trafficking dies in northern Thailand
A Malaysian couple travelled to Thailand on Tuesday to look for their son but found out that he died at Mae Sot Hospital in Tak province, northern Thailand, on May 11. The 23 year old man is believed to have fallen victim to a job scam and trafficked to Myanmar. The hospital said Zhan had been “abused.” Zhan Feng, from…
- World News
UPDATE: Burmese junta releases statement on charges for former UK ambassador
UPDATE The Burmese junta said in a statement yesterday that it has charged a former UK ambassador to the country with immigration offenses. This news comes after anonymous sources reported yesterday that the former ambassador Vicky Bowman and her husband had been detained in Yangon. Local media reports that the two had been detained on Wednesday night, and are being…
- World News
Former UK ambassador and husband reported detained in Myanmar
The former UK ambassador to Myanmar and her husband have been detained in Yangon, two anonymous sources reported today. A spokesperson for the Burmese junta did not answer calls from Reuters seeking comment on the situation. A British embassy spokesperson has said the embassy is concerned about the arrest. She said… “We are in contact with the local authorities and are…
- World News
Hong Konger stuck in Myanmar pleads for help after being kidnapped in Thailand
A man from Hong Kong has contacted an anti-trafficking NGO pleading for help. He says he is currently detained and being forced to work as a scammer in Myanmar after he was kidnapped in Thailand. The man, 30 year old John, says he has been trapped for three months so far, and “escape is not an option.” John said he…
- Crime News
Hong Kong man goes to Thailand to meet ‘lover,’ gets trafficked to Myanmar
A man from Hong Kong travelled to Thailand in July to meet his “lover” who he met online three years ago. Upon arriving in Bangkok, he was captured by a human trafficking gang and taken to Myanmar, where he was detained, abused, and forced to work as a fraudster for one month. After his family paid a ransom, 28 year…
- World News
Japanese documentary producer arrested in Myanmar
A Japanese documentary producer was imprisoned with two protesters after joining an anti-government protest in Yangon last Tuesday. The media reported that Toru Kubota, a 26 year old male photographer and documentary filmmaker, was arrested at a protest in the South Dagon Township in the southeastern area of Yangon on July 30. The report said he was arrested while gathering…
- World News
Burmese and Karen forces battle for 7 hours near Thai border
Burmese and Karen forces battled each other for seven hours yesterday, close to the border between Myanmar and Thailand’s northern Tak province. It was the second day of consecutive fighting between the Burmese junta army, and the Karen National Liberation Army alongside Myanmar’s People’s Defence Force. The Burmese army had arrived in a Karen area aiming to capture it, but…
- World News
Bangkok Airways flights resume to Da Nang, Siem Reap, Yangon
Flight traffic is growing in the post-pandemic era, and now Bangkok Airways has announced the resumption of flights to nearby international destinations Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Thailand’s boutique airline will resume service in August and September to Da Nang, Siem Reap, and Yangon. Direct daily flights between Bangkok and Siem Reap, the Cambodian tourism mecca and home to the world’s…
- World News
Rohingya genocide case allowed to move forward in UN Court
After more than a year of a violent and often bloody military coup in Myanmar, it’s easy to forget that the country was already mired in genocide accusations before forces overthrew the government in February of last year. But in an ongoing case, the International Court of Justice at the United Nations has rejected Myanmar’s attempt to avoid trial for…
- World News
Myanmar guilty of war crimes says Amnesty International
Amnesty International today accused the Myanmar military of committing war crimes by laying antipersonnel landmines in and around villages in Kayah (Karenni) State. The non-governmental organisation revealed they have conducted an investigation in conflict-affected parts of the state and concluded the antipersonnel landmines are inherently indiscriminate and therefore contravene international law. The landmines have been laid in and around villages…
- World News
Thailand answering 500,000 migrant labour shortage
Thailand’s Chamber of Commerce yesterday insisted it is addressing the shortage of migrant workers needed to help boost the nation’s economy. The department accepts more than 500,000 additional foreign workers are needed in its manufacturing and services sectors to support economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic but says it is doing all it can to support the kingdom’s businesses. Chamber…
- World News
Thai stuntman kidnapped in drug smuggling ring in Myanmar
The mother of a famous Thai stuntman coach has appealed to the police to bring her kidnapped son home from Myanmar after he got caught up in a drug smuggling ring. Thai stuntman trainer, Ramai “Dan” Moripunt, is locked up in a Burmese prison after being accused of drug trafficking with two Thai friends. The 40 year old travelled from…
- Thailand News
Police bring home 6 Thai women forced into prostitution in Myanmar
Police brought home 6 Thai women who posted videos on social media to say they had been forced into prostitution in Myanmar and needed help. The police picked up the women from the Thailand – Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province, after coordinating with Burmese authorities. The group includes 31 year old Nanny from Nonthaburi, 25…
- World News
No Thais were killed by Burmese bombs says army
There were conflicting reports yesterday of Thai residents being killed as a result of the bombs dropped on Karen village in Myanmar near the Prop Phra district in Tak province in northern Thailand. The media reported there were Thai casualties as a result of the bombing at the border on Friday but the Thai army denied this was the case.…
- World News
Burmese military bombs Karen village, kills 2
Peace remains out of sight for minority groups living under the Burmese military. On Friday night, a Burmese fighter jet bombed a Karen village just a few hundred kilometres away from Myanmar’s border with Thailand. Two villagers were killed, 3 were wounded, and 92 were forced to flee to Thailand. Even though the Burmese military had reportedly meant to drop…
- World News
Thai and Cambodian officials meet with Burmese junta
Thai and Cambodian officials have been meeting with the Burmese junta in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyitaw this week. A delegation led by Lieutenant General Apichet Suesat of the Royal Thai Army met with Burmese junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The 2 parties discussed how to help the Burmese military’s peace talks, and establish stability in Myanmar. The Thai delegation met…
- World News
Royal Thai Air Force sends F-16 fighter jets to check air incursion by Burmese military planes
The Royal Thai Air Force sent 2 F-16 fighter jets to inspect Thai airspace after a MiG 29 fighter jet from Myanmar was detected flying over the Prop Phra district in Tak, the northern province of Thailand. Yesterday, the Royal Thai Airforce reported that an unidentified aircraft was spotted in Thai territorial air space at 11.16am. The plane was later…
- World News
Burmese refugees left stranded on desert island in Thailand for 3 days
Today, the Thai army picked up 16 Burmese refugees who were left stranded on a desert island off the coast of Ranong province, southern Thailand, for 3 days and 2 nights. The group came to the island from Myanmar by boat and were told to wait for another boat to take them across to the mainland. However, the boat they…
- World News
Quarantine waivered allowing 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand
In an effort to stop illegal border crossers looking for work, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will allow more than 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand without having to go through the quarantine procedure. Workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have been given a free pass from tomorrow through the MoU signed if they have been fully vaccinated with…
- World News
Record breaking amount of methamphetamine pills seized in Asia
More than one billion methamphetamine pills were seized in East and Southeast Asia last year, according to a report released by the United Nations. The illicit synthetic drug market is constantly evolving in East and southeast Asia, with every country in the region reporting methamphetamine as their drug of greatest concern, according to the UN. The UN’s report says most…
- World News
Burmese authorities confiscate OnlyFans star’s passport, cancels trip to Bangkok
A Burmese woman said she lost her job as a doctor for posing in bikini photos online, and has now had her right to travel taken away by Burmese authorities. Yangon Passport Office reportedly confiscated the OnlyFans star’s documents, causing her to cancel her planned trip to Bangkok. The 33 year old OnlyFans star Nang Mwe San qualified as a…
- World News
Thai official says Karen refugees receiving humanitarian aid
A Thai security official says that Thailand is giving humanitarian aid to Karen refugees who have fled to the Burmese-Thai border following a new wave of fighting between Karen rebels, and Myanmar’s junta forces. National Security Council secretary-general Supoj Malaniyom says Thai provincial authorities will set up a shelter to care for the hundreds of Karen refugees. This news comes…
- World News
Myanmar junta to reopen borders to tourists, but travel still isn’t advised
Myanmar’s junta has announced that after two years of closed borders, the country will soon allow tourists to apply for visas to travel into Myanmar. But with military coup related violence still rife in Myanmar, governments worldwide still advise against all but essential travel to the country. Activists are urging foreigners not to travel to Myanmar in light of the…
